…and why everyone who called it out for what it is was exactly right. In this case, “what it is” is a blatant giveaway to the wealthiest people in America, given on the backs of the people who could least afford it. We all knew it, and many here were screaming it from the rooftops. Well, the Washington Post distilled it down to an excellent summary of what the GOP really wanted from this whole farce, aptly titled, “Why Republicans were in such a hurry on health care.”
The text of the article is very insightful and enlightening, with such gems as
In part, it's because their plan was so unpopular and because it got more unpopular the more people learned about it.
and
...the GOP didn't want to let a detail like tens of millions of people losing their health insurance get in the way of two tax cuts for the rich.
There’s lots of excellent analysis about why this tax cut laid the groundwork for future, more extensive, tax cuts, as well as the rules that govern them, and I encourage everyone reading to check the whole thing out. But what really calls this plan out is a chart about two-thirds of the way down the article. They pulled it from another excellent publication by the Urban Institute, which allows it to be republished as long as attribution is given, so see it above leading off the diary, particularly that big, tall line on the far right. That’s the people with incomes above 200K per year. Also note how perfectly regressive it is, hitting people harder the lower their income. Straight out of the GOP playbook, and obviously not really designed with the working class in mind, however much they brayed about “access” and “choice” and “affordability” it was supposed to bring.
So to everyone who called out this bill for what it was—an attempted giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of the poor—a tip of the hat to you for your efforts.
And you’ve just been vindicated.
